Soul Searching Traveler

So every year, as my birthday comes into view, I move into celebration mode, and it pretty much lasts for the entire month. My family obliges, but in the past, I have seen some eye rolls. To my own defense, I would celebrate theirs all month, too, if they would let me. My inner child absolutely loves parties, events and, of course, birthdays!

This year, I had tickets to Lauren Daigle in Memphis, which is just far enough away from where we live in Kentucky that we could make it a fun little getaway. My criteria for planning a short getaway: 1.) Have I been there before? 2.) Will there be something beautiful to experience? 3.) Is there an attraction or special thing there – even if not beautiful? 4.) How does the food rate? 5.) Will I have a chance to interact with animals somehow? The potential for a great trip lies in these questions – well, a great trip for me anyway! I had never been to Memphis, but my husband had, so I felt like I needed to go too in some oddly competitive way. I was sure the town would have some beauty – if not the land along the river, that soulful rhythm and blues music would surely bring a sense of beauty. We had concert tickets but, can we say Graceland?! All my husband could talk about was bar-b-cue. Finally, the Peabody Hotel has ducks living in the lobby, so I knew the animal-encounter-game would be strong. Hey baby, let’s go to Memphis!

We headed out on a Wednesday morning with a great playlist for a four-hour drive. We enjoyed the trip after we got through Nashville and headed west toward the Mississippi. Nashville traffic is no fun. Long road trips offer opportunities for long silences during which I find myself thinking about the scenery and sometimes looking deeper. How beautiful our world is. It’s just incredible to me how a few hours southwest can change the lay of the land and even the trees plants. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to see it.

We drove into Memphis a little earlier than check-in time, so we stopped at Arcade for lunch. The diner was a little dingy but like a step back in time with the blue and white benches and barstools. I couldn’t help but order the peanut butter and banana sandwich with mayonnaise like Elvis! In all honesty, though, it wasn’t my favorite sandwich. I also splurged on a salted caramel spiked shake, which was so good.

We headed to the Peabody to check in, and I was just overwhelmed by the ducks in the lobby! I am sure I made a complete fool of myself talking to them and just wishing I could scoop them up and hold them. They were so adorable! Our first impression of the hotel, with the ducks swimming in the fountain, totally affirmed our decision to stay. And the ducky details just continued throughout the entire place. We ate it up!

On our first night, we dressed up and went to the FedEx Forum for the Lauren Daigle show. The venue was within walking distance from The Peabody, and we enjoyed seeing Beale Street on the way. We had purchased tickets that included dinner at the Blues Room, but this didn’t turn out to be a great decision. The food was not that good, and it was all very spicy. We were disappointed and wouldn’t recommend this. The concert, however, was so much fun! The Forum is also where the Grizzlies play and the stage was on the floor of the stadium with a long runway down the middle. Our seats were on the floor in section 8 with some room to move around a little bit. The music filled my soul, as we danced and sang along all night. What better way to start a Memphis getaway than with music.

“Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music.”

~ George Eliot

Day 2 Celebrating in Memphis